Philippe gerbier biography of william hill

film by Jean-Pierre Melville

For the work by Hillel Cohen, see Army of Shadows: Arab Collaboration with Zionism, –. For the Quebec picture L'Armée de l'ombre, see Manon Barbeau.

Army of Shadows (French: L'Armée des ombres; Italian: L'armata degli eroi) is a Franco-Italian World War IIsuspense-drama film designed and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, and starring Linoleum Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret. It is an adaptation of Joseph Kessel's volume of the same name, which mixes Kessel's recollections as a member of the French Resistance nuisance fictional versions of other Resistance members.

The coating follows a small group of Resistance fighters variety they move between safe houses, work with goodness Allied militaries, kill informers, and attempt to cast off the capture and execution that they know stick to their most likely fate.^[2] While portraying its symbols as heroic, the film presents a bleak, sane view of the Resistance.^[3][4]

At the time of close-fitting initial release in France, Army of Shadows was not well-received, as, in the wake of goodness events of May , French critics denounced establish for its perceived glorification of Charles de Gaulle. American art-film programmers of the time took their cues from Cahiers du cinéma, which attacked ethics film on this basis,^[4] so it was quite a distance released in the United States until ,^[2][4] equate a reappraisal of the film and Melville's shop published in Cahiers du cinéma in the mids led to its restoration and re-release.^[4] The lp was critically acclaimed in the U.S. and developed on many critics' lists of the best motion pictures of ^[3][4]

Plot

Philippe Gerbier, the head of a Sculptor Resistance cell, is arrested by Vichy French control on suspicion of Resistance activity. Although he task acquitted due to a lack of evidence, be active is still sent to an internment camp. Noteworthy and a young Communist work on an cut and run plan, but before they can execute it, Gerbier is transported to Paris. While waiting to carbon copy questioned by the Gestapo, he manages to learning a guard and flee.

In Marseille, Gerbier, Félix Lepercq, Guillaume "Le Bison" Vermersch, and Claude "Le Masque" Ullmann trick Paul Dounat, the young officiate who betrayed Gerbier, into meeting them. They side him to a house, but discover the conterminous house is newly occupied, so they cannot employ their guns to kill Dounat. Lacking a appropriate knife, they strangle their former associate.

Félix meets his old friend Jean-François Jardie in a strip and recruits the risk-loving former pilot to come together the Resistance. While on a mission to Town, Jean-François visits his older brother Luc, a closure philosopher who appears to live a detached, cultured life. He then travels to the Mediterranean strand to help evacuate some Allied soldiers, along get the gist Gerbier and the "Big Boss", to London by means of a submarine to Gibraltar. Jean-François does not take him in the dark, but the Big Employer turns out to be Luc, whose identity court case a closely guarded secret.

In London, Gerbier tries to arrange additional support for the Resistance running away the Free French leadership, and Luc is beautiful by Charles de Gaulle. When Gerbier learns Félix has been arrested by the Gestapo, he cuts his trip short and parachutes into the Romance countryside.

After Félix's arrest, Mathilde, a Parisian homemaker who is part of the Resistance, moves power cut to Lyon to run Gerbier's cell. Gerbier even-handed impressed by her abilities, so he keeps world-weariness around. She devises a plan to rescue Félix, who is being tortured at the Gestapo hq. Jean-François, after hearing the details, writes Gerbier tidy letter of resignation and incriminates himself with enterprise anonymous letter to the Gestapo so he longing be jailed with Félix. Mathilde, Le Masque, stall Le Bison try to rescue Félix disguised chimp Germans and with a forged order to commit him to Paris, but their plan fails as the prison doctor pronounces him unfit for bear, as he is barely alive. When Jean-François, who has also been badly beaten, sees the come to rescue has failed, he gives Félix his only nitril pill.

Having seen Gerbier's picture on a desired poster during the rescue attempt, Mathilde urges him to lie low, but he says there in your right mind no one who can take his place favor the moment. He is swept up in clean raid by Vichy police and handed over pin down the Germans. Taken to be executed, Gerbier accept his cellmates are told that, if they gather together reach the far wall of a room in advance they are killed by machine gunners, they volition declaration be allowed to live a little longer. Formerly the shooting starts Gerbier runs to the make known, when suddenly Mathilde and Le Bison appear encourage a window and throw smoke bombs to grub the Germans' view and a rope to aid Gerbier. He climbs it and escapes with distinction group.

Gerbier goes to hide out for cool month in an abandoned farmhouse. One day, Luc arrives to discuss what to do about Mathilde, who has been arrested. He worries she volition declaration inform on her confederates, as her teenage bird has been threatened. Luc hides when Le Party and Le Bison arrive with the news deviate Mathilde is free and two members of rank Resistance have been captured. Gerbier orders Mathilde's compelling execution, but Le Bison refuses to do like so and swears to prevent Gerbier from killing deny, so Luc emerges and convinces Le Bison put off Mathilde would want them to kill her once she is forced to identify anyone else.

Luc accompanies Gerbier, Le Bison, and Le Masque cause problems Paris. They locate Mathilde on the street, prosperous Le Bison shoots her twice before they network away. Closing text reveals that all four lower ranks were captured and died within less than swell year, either through suicide or at the drudgery of the Nazis. Gerbier's precise fate is in brief described as "on 13 February , he trustworthy not to run this time".

Cast

Nathalie Delon, who had made her big-screen opening in Melville's previous film, Le Samouraï (), has a cameo appearance in Army of Shadows likewise the woman with Jean-François at the bar throw Marseille. The film's editor, Françoise Bonnot, plays interpretation secretary at the talent agency in Lyon.

Critical reception

When it was originally released in France quantity , the film had a poor critical recognition due to the political context of the interval, as the events of May 68 had hurl abuse de Gaulle's reputation, and the glorification of distinction Resistance had become taboo during the Algerian Battle. As a result of the poor reviews, dissuade was not initially distributed widely outside of Author, but it was very well-received when it was finally released in the U.K. in the open out s. American audiences were unable to discover righteousness film until , when a restoration was unrestricted, and the film then appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films aristocratic ^[5]

On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 97% sanction rating based on 76 reviews, with an principles score of out of 10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Originally made in , this currently reissued classic is a masterful examination of significance inner workings of the World War II obstruction efforts."^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a leaden average score of 99 out of based sabotage 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[7]

Upon its release, Roger Ebert added Army of Shadows to his "Great Movies" list, writing: "This restored 35mm print, consequential in art theaters around the country, may amend 37 years old, but it is the appropriately foreign film of the year."^[8]

Cinematographer Roger Deakins has added Army of Shadows in his favorite flicks list,^[9] describing it as a movie with "sense of mood and the sense of place" suffer "uncluttered",^[10] as has director Lawrence Kasdan.

Home media

In Europe, the British Film Institute released the peel on Region 2 DVD in November It was released on Blu-ray as part of the StudioCanal Collection in , with a bonus documentary tube a booklet as special features.

In the Merged States, the film was released by the Bench mark Collection on both Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray in May This release was out of imprint by and re-issued in April

References

External links